Ah… it was blissful to see your guildmates rise in the ranks. It built pride and happiness in your hearts, and for the shaman, it also proved the prosperity of Fairy Tail. Despite just having put Rina through a long exam in order to be accepted as a B-rank wizard, he joyfully appointed the rather small wizard among them, Althea, to finally say goodbye to her life as a D-rank wizard and begin to experience the thicker aspects of the magic world. She was already touching the wall - all she needed to cross it was a ladder. He, Mura, took the responsibility to be that ladder, and he would execute that role efficiently, for her sake…

He was playing around with the different commands and settings in his electronic Oracle Bracer as he waited outside the guild hall. Two floating orbs, a blue one and a green one, circled around his head. There was also a box behind him too, which he would use in a brief moment…

“Sorry I’m late!” Althea erupted from the guild hall, rearing to begin her exam. This would be her first step in a long journey to being one of the best wizards out there, or at least she hoped so. Although just exploring the world was fine enough for her, being a wizard was even better in some ways. Just going from place to place without much excitement besides the sights wouldn’t be as nearly fulfilling as being a guild wizard. It even included the opportunity to meet new friends too after all. But now Althea was climbing the ranks! The very thought caused the wizard to have a new wave of anticipation rush over her.Absorbed in the energy of the moment, Althea quickly lost both her focus and footing, tripping over a miniscule rock just a step away from the door. But that didn’t seem to hinder her enthusiasm at all, because the wizard simply picked herself back up to face Mura. “Hi! What are we doing?” She secretly hoped that it would be something incredibly interesting that included combat. Althea's curiosity even managed to grow greater than her bursting excitement, trying to guess in her mind before Mura even said anything.

His ears caught the sound of a ‘knock’ on the ground, and as he turned around, he saw Althea pick herself up as quickly as she fell down. That was great; she was already eager to see what her exam was all about, and it automatically made her ready for anything. He just hoped that she had done her thoughts through earlier, though, because it wasn’t exactly that you could be ready for anything with a strong will - you needed relativity in that sense that your capabilities suited the situation.

Therefore, Mura would open the box and throw what looked like a slingshot towards Althea. It was unloaded, but yeah, she would use that today. Next up, he would point towards an independent wall next to the guild hall that revealed a bunch of targets; some were static, others moved around, and some even threw snowballs at random times.

“Your magic is off the roof for a D-rank wizard,” he complimented her with a chuckle, “But it takes more to level up in this world. You know, trying new things for the first time - those times, though, would occur often as a wizard… therefore, be ready for the worst, okay?” He would move over to the targets, and with a simple push to what looked like air, he managed to push at a holographic button that would start the little obstacle course.

“Here are the rules, and I’ll explain later; don’t show me any signs of magic. Try your best to hit the red centers of the targets within at least… let’s say 4 times.” He would then throw a shoulder bag filled with paint orbs for the slingshot, “Show me how to adapt to something new like this. I’m eager to see what you’ve got..!”

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WC Requirement for first part of exam: 500 words

Objective: Hit the three types of targets: static one, moving one, moving one with throwing snowballs. Make sure to show your skills with the weapon that you've been granted! >

Althea took the slingshot and ammo, bringing them close to her face for an inspection. She didn’t really know how they worked, the forked stick and paint orbs weren’t like anything she had used before. Stepping up to the targets, Althea tried to guess how to use it, placing the orb on the stretchy part of the stick and pulling it back before releasing it. But, the shot only traveled a few measly feet before losing its momentum and dropping to the ground. Deciding to try the technique again, this time drawing the orb farther back, Althea shot at the target. It ended up flying too far this time, landing in the bushes far behind the static target. One more time, Althea tried hitting the target, only to horribly miss.

Wondering if she was doing correctly in the first place, Althea held the stick by one of its shorter ends, swinging at the ball as if she were playing some form of table tennis with a stick instead of a paddle. It was a much more natural way for her to hold something, and had no problem hitting something on a small point due to her training with a spear. Along with her skills and a bit of luck, the orb met it's point in the middle of the target.

Moving on the the moving target, Althea attempted her newly developed technique, missing by a long shot. Realizing she’d have to adapt to hit something that moved, she revisited the first thing she had tried. Deciding she would rely more on force rather than the arc she shot it at, Althea aimed directly for the target, pulling the ammunition back as far as she could. It would be more like shooting a gun than drawing a bow. Releasing the orb, it barely missing the middle of the target, landing just on the border. Once more, she attempted it, but this time the orb found itself squarely in the middle of the moving target. Now, Althea only had one more target standing in her way, but it would be more difficult than the rest.

On her first attempt with the ‘aggressive’ target, Althea attempted to lower herself to the ground, assuming that it wouldn’t be able to hit her. Pulling back the orb like she had beforehand, she was in the middle of releasing it when a flurry of snowballs found themselves right smack in the middle of Althea’s face. Three hit her, stacking on top of each other in an ice cream-like fashion. Using the hand she was pulling back the orb with, she wiped the slush off, causing the ball to fire at the target. “Er, whoops.” Deciding that the target had some sort of miracle tracker that somehow just knew where she was. Getting to her feet, Althea drew back the orb, keeping on her toes. As the target threw snowballs at her, the wizard dodged them, ducking and sliding every which way. She never took her eyes of the moving target, waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

And in no time, such an opportunity presented itself. Standing directly in front of the target, Althea released the orb, sending it flying into the center of the last target. As the shot connected, she threw her hands upwards, laughing triumphantly. “Ahahaha, I did it!” Turning to Mura, she grinned widely. “What’s next?”

Hmh… yup. His hunch ended on a high note - she developed quicker than he anticipated. He had to give her credit for that, because even he was struggling to wield a slingshot; then again, it had been… never since his last try with that lethal weapon. All he wanted was to see Althea’s ability to adapt into issues, news, sudden regulations that may stand in her path to glory and honor as a wizard of Fairy Tail. She would be needed to overcome such obstacles if she wanted to reach her goal with pride.

About pride… watching the young girl infuriated Zirconis tremendously. He had simply gotten enough with those Dragon Slayers, but Mura hadn’t noticed it yet. He was more focused on his role as proctor to actually fathom her magic as of yet. However, when he spotted Zirconis’ face - all clear and visible for the younger wizard too - the shaman couldn’t but chuckle. “I see now…” he let out with a grin, “So she’s one of them too, ain’t she? That’s why you’re so mad, huh?”

“Are you trying to mock me..?” the green dragon asked back to Mura, but he was grinning even more now. The dragon’s obvious sense of hostility and atmosphere of fright didn’t phase him much now, especially since Zirconis meant no actual harm in the end. He was just salty over watching all these Dragon Slayers as if his race had lost the race of evolution in favor of the likes of Althea. That also gave Mura another idea… just to ease the air a little and let Althea reveal her actual magic to him.

“That reminds me… alright, you’ve already finished half of your exam. Therefore-“ he proclaimed as his hand grabbed the green spirit head that was Zirconis’, suddenly swinging the spirit into his belly, “I could look and get an idea of your magic… but I’d rather let you show it to me yourself. Come on, exchange a few blows with us and let us see what your limits are.”

Objective: As your last trial, Mura has challenged you to a swift duel! Accept it and give it your all in this very short amount of time that he has set! (in this case, my character will turn into an NPC for you to sum up the fight in the last 500 words ;3 )

Boss:Mura/Zirconis x1: A dragon's soul imprinted within human flesh. Mura has unlocked the door to access the power of the mighty monsters that used to roam the lands of Fiore as lords, kings, even gods... but don't worry. Even your own Ace has a long way to fully master Zirconis' spirit, and thus not even a fraction of the green Jade Dragon's power has been released. Although, it should be enough to beware of; with swift movement and tough impact, he deals 1x C-rank Damage per melee hit and 1.5x C-rank Damage per Jade spell that is launched. His ammunition includes, during this exam, vaccuum impacts created by his very palm and hardened skin of pure emerald to shield. Do your very best, Althea! he only needs to feel the grasp of 3x C-Rank Attacks in order to proclaim your promotion!

Althea either didn’t notice the ball-like creature that seemed to be a dragon’s expression or just chose to ignore it, with her it was always hard to tell. Instead, she was completely focused on hearing what she would have to do in order to finish her exam. According to Mura, she was halfway through it, which was good since she wanted to get to C-rank as quickly as possible. D-rank jobs weren’t the most exciting things out there, consisting of requests to get a cat from a tree, keeping someone’s elderly mother company, and the occasional escort mission. They were fine if you just wanted a few easy, quick jewels, but not if you wanted some serious work like Althea, so the idea of advancing to the next rank was pretty invigorating. But, that wasn’t the only thing that excited her because her next task was was something that was right up Althea’s alley.

“Oh wow, I get to fight you?” The wizard exclaimed, disbelief present in both her words and her features. But, she soon managed to wrap her head around the prospect of fighting someone so far above her own level. “Alright then, I’ll try my absolute best then!” She reckoned that the guild ace was going to hold back on her anyways, so she would just have to pound him into the ground as much as possible in an attempt to bring the level of difficulty up. Readying her stance, Althea first focused on bringing out everything she had. A faint, blue aura formed around her, not strong enough to be noticed at all unless you were actively looking for it. Soon, she had already collected her resolve and was prepared to start ‘exchanging a few blows’ as Mura had worded it, although was Althea wanted was a full-blown battle. Clenching her hands into fists, she didn’t wait any longer to abruptly launch herself strait at the shaman, set on winning the fight.

She first threw a punch at Mura, something fairly predictable due to a movement and was effortlessly dodged. Now being launched at a rock instead of Mura, Althea had to swig her leg around to redirect her momentum. Deciding that the leg would make a good kick, she aimed it right for her opponent’s head. But, as she made contact, Althea didn’t hit flesh but instead something that felt like steel. What is that a green rock…? Her natural instinct was to withdraw, but now there was a chance for her to strike. Moving in closer to her guild ace, Althea let loose a barrage of punches, trying to hit hard instead of quickly. Out of her several hits thrown, only four really did anything. Eventually, the wizard’s target took a step backwards, causing her combo to disconnect. Standing squarely on her feet, Althea debated her next course of action.

She wanted to finish things up right now, so why not just pull off one of her most powerful attacks? But, she’d first have to make sure it’d actually hit Mura. The wizard rushed at him in a similar fashion she had during the beginning of the exchange, gaze set squarely on her opponent. As expected, they reacted in the same way before, stepping out of the way. But, Althea exhaled, a small stream of jet-like water coming from it. The backlash of it caused her momentum to die off, and Althea only had one more thing left to do. Standing sturdily, she launched herself headfirst at her target, making contact with a hefty headbutt. Falling to the ground after impact, Althea felt very dizzy, but accomplished.

Name: Water Dragon's DriveRank: DType: SupportiveDuration: 2 postsCooldown: 3 postsDescription: This spell works by using the caster’s will alongside their ethernanos to further enhance their abilities. It buffs the user’s magic strength by 60% and may cause a few purely cosmetic effects.Strengths:♢ Gives the caster a strong buffWeaknesses:♢ Only affects the user♢ Deals no direct damage to the opponent

Name: Water Dragon's ChargeRank: DType: Offensive || Multi-TargetDuration: 1 postCooldown: 2 postsDescription: Covering their limbs with water, the caster throws a barrage of high-speed punches at the target, each one dealing 25% of D rank damage. There doesn’t seem like there is really a limit to how many punches can be thrown, but it all depends on the situation.Strengths:♢ Can be used to easily rack up damageWeaknesses:♢ Must be used at close range to use♢ Spell can be dodged by avoiding the first punch thrown

Name: Water Dragon's CrashRank: D+Type: Offensive || Single TargetDuration: 1 postCooldown: 3 postsDescription: The caster uses their magic to propel themselves towards their target, treating themselves as a human bullet. They move at approximately 120 m/s but can only reach up to 30 m.Strengths:♢ User moves very quickly during spellWeaknesses:♢ Can only be used when in close range to target♢ If spell misses, there a hefty punishment